Several major pandemics in human history

In 2020, a virus named Coronavirus unexpectedly swept the world. By August 8, 2020, the number of confirmed cases in the world has reached 19.47 million, with more than 710，000 deaths. Our lives have been greatly affected, factories shut down, schools closed. When will this pandemic be over? Can human beings overcome it?

Looking back on several major pandemics in history may give us some inspiration.
◎The Black Death in the 14th century and the rise of Western EuropeAround 1350 AD, a plague that may have originated from Mongolia swept Europe. The plague caused approximately 75 million deaths worldwide and the population of Europe decreased by a third. That plague is also known as The Black Death.

After the outbreak of the Black Death, due to the reduction of population, the shortage of labor force, which directly promoted the tool improvement and technological innovation. Europe soon ushered in the Renaissance, the Enlightenment of religious reform, which promoted the scientific and technological progress. Thus, Europeans has established a sound public health and medical system. Historians believe that after the bloody plague, Europe was reborn from reflection, and began to move towards the direction of modern society and commercial economy, laying the foundation for the rise of Western Europe and the domination of the world in the future.

◎Pestilence of China in the 17th century and the establishment of Qing Dynasty

There have been many plague epidemics in ancient China. In 1641, plague appeared in northern China, and the population in some areas decreased by 20% to 40%. Nearly 60% of people in the Capital died of plague. The plague in the late Ming Dynasty probably included plague and malaria, and the virus may have been brought into the pass after the invasion of northern Qing army.

This may explain why the Qing troops who went south were safe and sound. They may have acquired some kind of immune function.

Historians believe that the virus pandemic indirectly led to the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the rise of the Qing Dynasty, which changed the trend of Chinese society.

The pandemic is terrible, but human beings are good at drawing wisdom from history. 

It is a painful lesson, because after each pandemic, human society has been punished, but we will learn from the lesson and make progress.The epidemic will eventually pass, we should be confident in the future of mankind.